ENCINITAS: Family, friends remember SEAL

On a warm fall evening, on the street where he lived, friends partied for G Bub ---- Glen Doherty, the former Navy SEAL killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya.

It was exactly what he would have ordered up, said longtime compatriots, who wore T-shirts printed with the dead man's nickname.

They described the 42-year-old Encinitas resident as part fitness fanatic, part social director, part tough military veteran. All role model.

A neighbor brewed a special beer for the night, called Warrior IPA. The strong stuff was Doherty's favorite, friends say, because he never held back.

"Glen's wishes were not to have a funeral but to have a party. That's how he lived his life," said Sean Lake, a friend since childhood and Doherty's roommate in a quiet Encinitas subdivision.

Events to celebrate Doherty's life continue today with a paddle-out in the ocean, then a private party today in Del Mar.

Doherty was one of four Americans killed in a terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Three of the dead have San Diego connections.

Former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods, 41, of Imperial Beach, was also killed in the attack. Both former SEALs were working as private security and intelligence contractors. Also slain were U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and information officer Sean Smith, a San Diego native who attended Mission Bay High School.

In a presidential election year, the tragedy has now become political.

Critics have bashed the White House for lax security leading up to the attack, despite what are now believed to have been warning signs. Also, early White House statements said, apparently wrongly, that the attack was spurred by a movie clip aired on YouTube that ridiculed the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

Doherty's name has surfaced specifically. In speeches critical of the Obama administration, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has mentioned meeting the former Navy SEAL at a Christmas party in La Jolla, where Romney owns a home.

On Wednesday, Doherty's mother, Barbara, told a Boston television station that she wished the GOP candidate would stop mentioning the chance meeting.

"He shouldn't make my son's death part of his political agenda," Barbara Doherty said, according to The Associated Press.

On Friday night, with a blues band jangling in the background, friends didn't want to talk about the political tempest ---- other than to say that Doherty would have laughed it off.

The former SEAL's loved ones are concentrating on how to honor his memory, now that the funeral, held Sept. 19 in his hometown of Winchester, Mass, is done.

They've launched a nonprofit fund, the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation, to support education and other issues close to his heart.

"We now have the ability to take this set of events and turn them into something positive for years and years to come. The foundation was born out of that ideal, paying it forward," said Lake, 41, who is a board member. "Taking Glen's lifelong goals ---- educating yourself, helping others. What better basis for a foundation?"

In candid photos arranged on a table, Doherty was a broad-shouldered, athletic guy who looked younger than his years. His face often wears a cheeky grin.

But after serving a decade with the SEALs, he continued to do a serious and dangerous job.

"He was good at it. He was one of the best there is," Lake said. "When you are really good at something, and you have this great sense of purpose, you are inspired to continue. He knew the risks."

Doherty worked as a SEAL from 1995 to 2005, participating in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the response to 2000 attack on the Navy destroyer Cole, among other missions.

After leaving the Navy, he did private security contracting. Those jobs took him to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen. It was a grueling schedule of three months overseas, followed by a month or two at home, according to an online biography written by his brother, Greg.

Doherty was a lifelong athlete and outdoor enthusiast.

After high school, he attended Arizona's Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, then left to pursue physical joys. He skied Utah in winter and led white-water rafting trips down the Colorado River in summer.

His family also describes him as a talented cook and "after-party expert" who was the glue that kept many social circles together. His friends called him Facebook before Facebook was invented.

Doherty was a fixture at San Diego beaches and at North County Cross-Fit gyms, where he served as an instructor. His garage is full of mountain bikes and enough surfboards to outfit a team.

He wrote a 2010 book, "21st Century Sniper: A Complete Practical Guide," with his friend Brandon Webb, another former Navy SEAL in San Diego.

People from all parts of his life arrived on Rodney Avenue Friday night, sometimes in cabs straight from the airport.

She had a story to tell. An older couple, she and her husband would come home to find Doherty trimming their bushes for them. Even though he was gone months in a row, he made time to build them a fence, and stain it.

With watery eyes, Jensen concluded, "It was awesome to know a real superhero."